Becoming Human (Fem Norway x Denmark)
by lemonderpsnglitter
Summary: Lotte Nilsen is a type one diabetic with a poor outlook on life and humanity-she hates it all and refuses to take part in it except just to get by. But that all changes when she meets a certain Mathias Køhler, who seems to be like the rest of humanity that she hates, but eventually manages to soften her heart.
1. Chapter 1: I'm Fine

It was all an interesting coincidence for Lotte. Interesting how that very coincidence ended up saving her life and finding a place she finally belonged, at long last. Growing up she was treated differently from the other children her age. For as long as she could remember it was pricking her finger and shots. She couldn't eat without doing both. Either her mother would have to accompany her to school or she would have to go to the nurse's office for lunch when she was of schooling age. And when necessary, she was permitted to eat in class when she wasn't feeling quite right. Other kids envied that. They picked on her for getting special treatment. And she had always been quite the introvert, so when they picked on her, she'd do what her mother said to and she would ignore them, choosing just not to react. That only made the teasing get worse, though. They wound find every reason to treat her like she was worthless. But that's how kids are when they're miserable. They would always find someone else to take it out on. Someone different that they could find fault with, every time, without fail. And the person those children always chose was Lotte.

You see, Lotte was a type 1 diabetic. And she had practically been born with the disease. She knew she was different from the others. She was very aware of that fact-but what she had to do just felt normal to her. It was something she had to deal with whether she liked it or not. Whether she had friends or not. Her younger sister Lilja had a normal life, unlike her. While her sister was reserved, she had made friends with outgoing people who always included her in things. That was always the difference between the two of them. When Lotte reached her late teens, she was entirely insistent on doing things all by herself without the help of anyone. And even then, when she was honest with herself she never had been taking care of her disease the way she was supposed to because she hated it. She wanted to either not exist or to at least exist without it. At school, no matter what she did she'd never have more than one friend. She'd always be bullied and someone would only be her friend out of pity and eventually she'd reject them. She knew in the end they would betray her anyway.

In short, her life was a struggle for normalcy. She was never normal. She was always the freak to everyone around her. She was always different no matter what she did. And because the hobbies she took to with runes, spells and other occult type things—that only made those bullies scared of her. But who needed them anyway? Who needed people when people only come to hurt you? How dare they. How dare they always hurt and taunt her, and then later act like they didn't know what they were doing! Even her own family was guilty of such things! Some nights she'd just spend alone in her room, cursing people. Nothing big, of course—she wouldn't be able to handle a death on her hands. Just little things. Misplaced objects. Tripping people. Making them late to where ever they needed to be. Her magic that she practiced was always childish pranks, despite her ill will and spite towards people. Perhaps she was too soft, despite how hard-hearted and distant she had become.

And that's why she left her home as soon as she finished her pointless schooling. She didn't know what direction she wanted to take in her life. She knew things would be costly, which is why she was quick to get into a job, not breathing a word about her disease at all to her boss. She just did her work. Bought supplies she needed to get by, fed herself, and lived in a little apartment, as it was all she was able to afford by herself. And to a degree, she didn't care. Life was difficult, yes. Especially working as a server for a local restaurant, but as long as she faked a smile and pretended to care about someone's day she was able to make good enough tips to get by.

Yes, this scrounging by, mundane life suited her just fine. In her spare time she studied the occult that she had taken such an interest in. Her sister would call her from time to time, but she never felt like picking up. Originally she had, but it was always the same message every time.

"Lotte, please come home."

"Lotte, why won't you talk to me anymore? We're sisters, right? Please pick up."

"I want to talk to you."

The problem was that Lotte didn't want to talk to her sister. Her perfect beautiful little sister who had friends and had a life and whom her parents showed every ounce of their affection to. Perhaps she'd doted on Lilja too much when they were growing up…If she hadn't, maybe she wouldn't have something still reminding her constantly of how much of a burden and an outcast she had always been. Curled up in her apartment in a t-shirt and sweats she listened to another voicemail from her sister trying to contact her. It's not like it mattered-she was disinterested in anything '_Little Miss Perfect_' had to say to her anymore. With her long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, she laid back on the carpet, opening up her book on trolls and other mythical beasts from folklore and where they resided. The sun had set and she had work again bright and early the next day.

So for now, she decided to take time to herself and get lost in the fantasies of these creatures…their creation and how they were permitted to live isolated…isolated from humans, much like her nowadays. Some creatures pretended to be human and would feign human skin…perhaps that was how she was too. After all, she pretended she was human for work. No problems, always pretending to be happy and like nothing is wrong with her or the rest of the world for that matter. And people were so utterly stupid that they couldn't see the darkness at her feet. They could never see the shadow that looms over her. Even those humans who had shadows…they were always just selfish and cruel—far too caught up with themselves to notice. They were ignorant. Every last one of them. And she hated humans because of it.

"Humans are the worst…" she mumbled to herself reading about the creatures she so admired and related to. "Perhaps…I was just born in the wrong skin. And that's why something's wrong with this body." She was silent for a moment longer blissfully reading a couple more sentences before glancing at the clock and shutting the book. She gave a light sigh, as it was time for bed. She needed the sleep so she wouldn't be tempted to commit murder at work once all the dumbass early birds came in. She hated them the most. All the men would flirt with her and she always had to maintain a smile and endure the harassment and joviality of them. Women typically didn't show up until lunch and all of them were vindictive and just pretending to like each other. And then they'd bitch if one little detail of their order was done wrong. Once dinner rush would start, all the families would show up and she hated the kids. They'd always make far more of a mess than she thought possible with the few things that ever reached the table. Another day to look forward to. And the humans she forced herself to serve and interact with would always be the same.

Of course, even after laying down and falling asleep, she woke up more times than she wanted to. Her body would always wake her with something feeling off no matter what she did to keep herself under control. She was fine during the day, but overnight her blood sugar either dropped or raised to where she'd end up in the bathroom three times at any point in the night. This time it was the latter of the two and due to that she was as irritated as ever when her alarm went off at five in the morning. But they opened at 7, meaning she had to be there at 6:30. So she had to get up, take a shower, and walk the two blocks to work.

She was prompt, as usual and as soon as she walked in the door she stowed her personal items and put on her uniform and set the tables to get ready for the day. The sky was cloudy as the sun was beginning to rise, and the forecast said it was possible for a light rainstorm to hit around the time she was off. She didn't mind the rain however, as long as she wasn't drenched. Within a few more moments, the usual before-work-breakfast-crowd came in. Most of them were regulars. They dined in groups with separate checks. Simple enough. However, this time there was a new customer. Not a lot of new faces ever showed up in this diner, as much as Kongsberg got new people working in neighboring areas. He walked in and took a seat like everyone else, wearing a lab coat. So he was either a doctor or some type of lab science worker…but the oddest thing about him had to be his hair. Some of it was standing straight up like it had no sense of gravity! He'd probably just used hair gel to make himself look '_cool_' like that though. Men tended to do ridiculous things like that, when actually it just made them look stupid. Nonetheless, Lotte walked over and gave him a menu, feigning a smile as she did with all of the customers.

"Welcome! Here's a menu for you." she gently set it on the table. "May I get you something to drink, sir?" she asked. It was standard procedure. Greeting, give them a menu, ask for a drink order, and so on.

"Ah—um…" he paused a moment, searching the menu for the drinks available.

"Is this your first time dining here?" she asked him.

"Oh, could you tell?" he smiled faintly at her.

"Well I can't say I've seen you before, and many of our customers are regulars. If I could recommend something to you, the coffee here is actually very good." Just doing her job, even though she sounded far nicer and sweeter than she actually felt deep down. Sometimes the way she had to play pretend like this made her want to gag.

"Hmm, well a coffee sounds nice, actually. I'll have one, if you don't mind." He gave her a charming smile which really made her want to vomit more than her acting itself did. But she had to be polite. Had to fit in with the humans no matter how terrible they were deep down.

"Very well. I'll get you one—oh, and the cream and sugar is on the table. Please let me know when you're ready to order." And with a courteous smile, she walked back behind the counter and prepared a coffee. Her coworker, Ingrid was taking care of orders from her other table at the moment, so she was able to go directly back to the new customer with his coffee.

"Here's your coffee, sir. Were you ready to order?" she questioned, prepared to turn and go check on a larger party.

"Thank you very much~" he chimed, taking a sip. "Oh—I was wondering…you have these two breakfast specials, but I'm having trouble choosing between them. What would you recommend between the two?" he asked, pointing at the two different menu items.

"Between those two items, that one" she pointed to the first most item he was considering, "is the most popular with our regulars, while this one," she pointed to the second item, "is one I personally prefer."

"Ah, well isn't that a tough decision!" he mused. "Well, I think I trust your judgment since this coffee is great, just like you said! I'll do the second one." Something about this guy was beginning to tick her off. Maybe it was the fact he seemed so enthusiastic this early in the morning. But she wrote down his order and told him she would bring it out when it was ready. Like the rest of the customers, he enjoyed his food, paid, left a tip and went off to work. But as she was clearing the table he had been sitting at, she found a note.

"Thank you very much for the great meal and service. I look forward to coming back here as often as time allows.

-M. K."

Weird. Normally people didn't leave notes like this. But maybe the guy was just stupid enough to actually be kind somewhere within that ridiculous hair style. It didn't really matter though. There were other things to do if Lotte had any hope of making good money to continue surviving the way she had been this long.

The rest of the day was average, though it slowed down just after the dinner rush started. Apparently that light rain that was forecast became heavy rain instead…and of course not anticipating it to really begin pouring down, the young Norwegian woman hadn't brought her umbrella along. Ingrid had a double shift today, so it wasn't like she could ask her to walk her home. Once her shift was over, she pulled her luck rune from her bag and gripped it tight in her hand as she left in her warm clothing. The walkway was completely drenched and slippery, but thanks to her charm she wasn't tripping and falling in her high-heels. However, the wind began to pick up, blowing hard enough to where this weather would likely knock her over. It seemed like her luck was running out as she was barely reaching the end of one block with another one to walk through to her apartment complex. And she'd have to climb the stairs, with her room being on the second floor. Just great, as slippery as the ground had gotten. She was determined to push through, but as she crossed the street she finally slipped and fell, drenching her clothing. Just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, a car was coming. _Fantastic_, how her luck had gone so rapidly. She quickly attempted to stand to her feet but couldn't get up fast enough with her shoes. Taking them off and moving back to the sidewalk, she was surprised to see the car stop and pull off to the side. Who in their right mind did that and rolled down their window in the middle of a rainstorm?!

"I thought that might have been you! I suppose you were walking home from work in this weather?" a voice asked. Upon closer inspection it was the newcomer from the diner earlier that day. Great. A weirdo was trying to do her some service. He'd likely expect something in return, so rather than talking to him or anything else she elected to keep walking.

"H-hey, wait up! I saw you fall just now you know! You really shouldn't be walking out in this weather or you'll catch a cold!" he got out of his car and began following her. "Wait, what I'm trying to say is-" he grabbed her shoulder, turning her around. "I'm sorry for being rough, but you're drenched and it looks like you've hurt yourself since you're limping. Please allow me to help you get to your house." He was giving a sympathetic glance.

Oh god that was it. What an idiot. She could take care of herself! And that look he was giving reminded her of all her so-called friends in the past that ended up just using her and making her out to be a joke. A cold-hearted beast that didn't function like normal humans. She wasn't at work, so she didn't have to play nice with him now.

"Leave me alone." Her voice had a light shakiness to it—probably from the chill she was getting now, however firm her words came out. "I don't want your help, I'm fine." her statement was cold and distant, and she was disgusted by the fact he'd touched her. She began walking quickly away from him, only to begin to really notice the limp she currently had. Ignoring it, she tried to take a few more steps with her cold limbs pushing forward with adrenaline while she could hear that guy trying to stop her again. Ha! Dumbass. She didn't need his help—

Slip. Scrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaape.

She fell again, this time scraping her knees and right leg. And of course the idiot man caught up to her.

"I was trying to tell you that you hurt yourself! And now you've really done it, haven't you?" he pressed, looking more serious than he had before.

"I-I'm fine…I can still get up by my…" she tried to stand but instead quietly winced at the pain.

"Now isn't a time to be stubborn, you know. Here," he held out his hand to her, "let me help you stand. I'll take you home and we'll patch you up, all right?" Lotte glared up at him, but reluctantly took his hand and allowed him to help her back to his car. Once he got her in and buckled up, he got into the driver's seat and turned the heater on. "All right, if you were walking your place can't be far. Which way?"

The drenched blonde woman pointed down the street. "That way. White apartment complex. Second floor, room number 13." She muttered irritably, while shivering slightly.

"Got it." His expression softened and he drove to the place she instructed. Once they arrived she parked and they sat in his vehicle a moment. It was quiet between them, but of course it wouldn't stay that way for long.

"…Thank you for driving me. I can take care of the rest myself." Lotte told him bluntly.

"Are you honestly that stubborn and proud to where you can't accept a little bit of help?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

"You're one to talk when you act like you know everything." She hissed.

"You were so much nicer at the diner, too…" he seemed to whine. "Well I suppose if nothing can be done-" he cut himself off and stepped out of the car, going around to her side and opening the door. Unbuckling her seat belt and ignoring her complaints about personal space, he lifted her up, shut the car and locked it, carrying her up the stairs while she began to hit him and demand for him to put her down. He somehow managed to steal the key from her bag and get her inside, but once he set her down she was completely infuriated.

"You have some nerve…" she growled.

"I'm just trying to help, okay?" he tried to reason with her.

"And why the _HELL_ should I trust you? You're practically a stranger and I don't know a thing about you, much less your name!" it was clear that she wanted him to leave.

"Fine, my name is Mathias. Mathias Køhler. I work as a laboratory assistant at Novo Nordisk in Rud and my mission in life is to help people. Now you know me, how about you introduce yourself and tell me where I can find a towel and a first aid kit for you."

"…My name is Lotte Nilsen. That's all you need to know about me. First aid kit is in the kitchen over there, towels are in the small linen closet outside the bedroom." She averted her eyes, clearly looking unhappy with the situation, but figuring that if worst came to worse she could always kick his ass and kick him out.

"Nice to meet you, too." He stated sarcastically. "And I'll be right back." He scurried around her apartment, first grabbing a towel and placing it around her shoulders. He was sure to try and dry her off and warm her up with it the best he could without making her more uncomfortable. Next he returned with the first aid kit, inspecting the scrapes on her knees and legs, cleaning them up with rubbing alcohol and wrapping them with gauze while avoiding wrapping the torn fabric of her leggings.

"There, you helped. Get out." She told him.

"You could say 'thank you' you know." He sighed. "Whatever, you're welcome."

"Thanks. Now leave." She gave him a merciless glare.

"I'll be leaving, then." He stated to her, pretty much feeling like shit for trying to be kind.

As Mathias turned to leave, he thought to himself that helping her turned out to be a waste of time because she was so closed off and rude toward him, but just as he opened the door and was about to step out, he heard a thud behind him. Stopping himself he turned around to see that Lotte had fallen to the ground, looking like she had passed out. Unsure of himself he turned around, shut the door and carefully walked over to her, pulling her into his arms shaking her gently to see if she was all right. If she was playing him then he was going to be upset that his charity was being taken further for granted. But she didn't wake or respond.

"Hey…hey, Lotte…this isn't a joke right? Are…you all right?" with no response again, he checked for pockets to see if maybe she had some kind of medication, but not finding anything on her person he nervously peeked into her purse. As he searched it, he saw things he was all too familiar with—diabetic equipment.

'_Oh great…_' he thought to himself. Searching a bit further, he found a glucagon shot and quickly prepped a spot on her arm with the rubbing alcohol from the first aid kit and injected it. God, this wasn't what he had expected when she suddenly passed out at all…she seemed to be in such good condition...Definitely feisty…Now he'd just have to wait. He had to make sure she didn't just drop dead, but he wasn't sure if calling the paramedics was something necessary quite yet. He knew how to handle this type of thing, after all. It was his job.

Placing her on the couch, he tracked down a blanket and sat beside her, watching the time. He hoped that shot would be enough. If she had dropped too low…

This was the last thing he had expected to do with the rest of his evening after a long day at work. Helping some diabetic woman who hated him for trying to help her. He could only hope she'd wake up. She'd probably yell at him again, or generally be displeased. But at least then he could just leave, knowing she'd be fine. Then after that he'd never see her again. Especially since she didn't seem too interested in keeping in touch or associating with him at this point…

Waiting…he just kept waiting…


	2. Chapter 2: My World Is Not Yours

About thirty minutes had passed by the time Lotte finally woke up, noticing a mildly frustrated looking Mathias leaning against the wall nearby the couch she had been laid down on. She was confused at first, but she then remembered that this was the guy who essentially forced her to allow him to help her and which caused her to show an irritated expression once again. Wait…if she had passed out while he was here…then he knew didn't he? Otherwise she'd likely be in a hospital. Or maybe she wouldn't have woken up and finally been able to have a little more peace in her life. But if he was here and so was she, he had found out the truth. Well. She supposed it wouldn't be hard considering the fact that he worked for the place that made the supplies she used to continue living. But even after processing all this all she could do was glare at him unhappily.

He obviously took note of this, glancing at her for a moment but then turning back to think to himself again a moment.

"Look…I'll forget all about today if it makes you feel any better. And with that being said, I'll be leaving now. I've overstayed my welcome (if any) at this point." He looked toward her again before heading toward the front door to her apartment. "Just do me one favor in return. Please take care of yourself."

And without so much as allowing her to get a word in, he walked out, as if nothing had even happened. The nerve of that guy…

Well…he did technically help her, so she couldn't be too angry about that at this point. And it wasn't like he was planning to pester her. Like most people who have ever gotten remotely close to her, she had managed to push him away and likely, she wouldn't be hearing from him again except possibly in casual passing. Above all, she just didn't know what to think of him. He helped her thanklessly? He didn't gain anything out of it. She hadn't even properly thanked him since his help had been unwanted in the first place, so how could someone like him just reach a conclusion like that all on his own?

Lotte shook her head lightly, alone in her apartment as it should be, and she decided to do exactly as he said he would do—forget about this day in its entirety. It wasn't like she had to understand human antics either way. She could go back to her usual life. She could go about things her own way without the interference of others. Silently curling back up on the couch, she instantaneously forgot about the stranger, Mathias Køhler. The only thing that stuck with her was his last words. "Please take care of yourself." She would. She was perfectly capable and didn't need a strange man telling her so. He wasn't like her. He didn't live in the same world she did, him always being so carefree like that…So she would do what she knew best. And that was all. She'd continue to feign human skin much like the creatures she so admired.

"I hate humans." She muttered to herself, before going about the rest of her day as she normally would.

Her week continued as usual, going to work, going home, studying and making her evening meals and such. She'd occasionally chat with Ingrid when the two of them were able to catch a break on slower days at work. And not one sign of that guy all week. It really seemed like he was going to keep that promise he made, so gradually as time went on as it usually did for the Norwegian woman, she forgot about the incident entirely.

On the other hand…Mathias immersed himself in his work. He was only a lab assistant, so he seldom did the actual work himself when it came to creating and managing the output of supplies. He mainly just did all of the paperwork and learned how to manage things that the lab scientists did. Of course he was taught how to work all the supplies too, as the laboratory assistants often worked with endocrinologists to help train people how to use them, but somehow ever since he had helped Lotte in that emergency situation, he couldn't help but wonder about her level of control with her disease since she'd so well hidden it. Did the people at her workplace even know?

Why he was so worried about it when he'd said he would forget it all ever happened was beyond him. But after a few days, he couldn't help but wonder why he'd even promised that in the first place. The woman didn't seem to have anyone she relied on. And even if she was able to afford the supplies, was she ever seeing a doctor to ensure she was well controlled? And with her 'outside of the workplace' attitude…

"…It's so frustrating." He ended up sighing to himself while typing up a report with a couple of his co-workers.

"Haha, what's wrong Mat? You having trouble staying on task with the 'boring' work again?" one of them asked.

"Ah, no. Just thinking about someone and it's got me in a bit of a bind—" he started to explain.

"Ohhhhh~? 'Someone,' hmm?" another female coworker teased. "Is it a girlfriend of yours, Mathias?"

"No, no, nothing like that…" he smiled faintly. "Well, I guess she is a girl though, you see—" he was cut off again.

"Mat, please. There's no reason to hide it if there's a girl on your mind, my friend! What kind of girl is she? What's got you frustrated, man?" the first one asked. His name was Stein Andersen, and he and Mathias were fairly good friends. They helped each other out, especially considering that Mathias was living in Denmark up until he got this job, and Stein being both Norwegian and Danish helped him adjust to living here and occasionally they'd work together on lab reports.

"Uh, well like I was saying—it's not exactly like that. I just met her by chance, really. How would you describe a girl like her though…maybe two-faced? No, that sounds a bit rude when you put it that way…either way, she served me at a little restaurant in the town over where my apartment is. I noticed her walking home in that rainstorm on my way home from here last week and so I offered to help her, but…" he trailed off and sighed a little. "She so adamantly denied my help. I did help her despite it but in the end she was pretty angry with me, I think. And I don't know. I usually feel better once I've helped someone out, but now for some reason I'm really frustrated about it..." He explained before letting his coworkers start chirping about romantic notions that were obviously _not_ taking place.

"Well unfortunately, you can't help everyone sometimes." Mari Dahle, another of the Dane's coworkers spoke up again, "Some people just don't want help, no matter how much it would benefit them. Don't think too hard on it, all right? Unless…maybe you're worried about her?" Mari's gaze became a questioning one.

"Worried…?" Mathias seemed to ponder this a moment. "Hmm…I guess that could be it, now that I think about it. Though I don't think worrying about her will really do me much good since she probably won't let me help her like I did again." He grinned and laughed a bit nervously.

"Yeah, Mat. It's probably better for you not to. I remember a few months back when you tried taking Camilla on a date and you got so worried that she hated you after you two couldn't find anything in common and you made a fool of yourself over dinner." Stein recalled.

"Ahaha…yeah. Don't remind me..." he laid his head on his desk for a moment in shame, "But…you both are right. I probably shouldn't take it too personally. I'll probably never see her again, after all."

"That's the idea. Now, did you finish this section? There's that one part that's just really tedious and…" Things continued as they normally would until all the lab reports were wrapped up and everyone went home for the day. They were right. He shouldn't worry about it too much. The only time he'd ever see her again at this point is if he went back to that diner. And he had other options of course, so he could avoid that place entirely…yeah. It'd work out perfectly.

Tomorrow was his day off from his assistant work, and he planned to spend most of it reading up on things related to his line of work. If he planned to move up in the company, he had to work hard and be ready in a year to be able to apply for a promotion to being an official lab scientist. The work was essentially the same, except that a lot of the work was a little more hands-on and allowed him to work more with the equipment they made rather than just knowing the basic functionality. To some, this kind of thing seemed boring. But Mathias enjoyed this work very much. It was his way of being able to give life to those across the world who otherwise may not have the chance to aid themselves. And the simple thought of that made him happy.

At least after a night's sleep he thought he'd be able to focus on this work of his, anyway. But instead he'd spent most of the night wondering if that diabetic woman was actually taking care of herself. It really wasn't his problem or place, but he hoped that she wouldn't just keep doing whatever and then end up collapsing again, but with no one else around to help her. Then again, he could have just been assuming that no one else was around to help her. She could have a flat mate or boyfriend or sibling she lived with for all he knew, and maybe they just weren't around at the time and that was why she'd gotten so angry with him. It could be any number of things, but for some reason he still chose to worry. So after a week, he finally found himself at the restaurant in the late morning. He was seated by another server entirely, and while waiting for a menu he was rubbing his frustrated, pounding head. Lack of good sleep usually did this to him, so the first thing he planned to do was order the same coffee he had gotten the last time he came here—temporarily forgetting the fact that Lotte was there.

It didn't take long for him to hear that same sweet sounding voice offering him his menu and asking what he'd like to drink. Without even looking up at first he just asked for the coffee, but then realizing that Lotte was once again his server he couldn't help but look up at her in wonder, questioning if this person here at the restaurant was how she really was and maybe he had caught her on a bad day the week prior. Part of him really wanted to believe the kind woman before him now was the real her. But in contrast to how cold she had been toward him, he just couldn't trick himself into believing it. The way she spoke and acted now just seemed so _fake_ to him.

She didn't say anything outside of her job to him. She simply got the coffee he'd asked for and returned with it immediately, asking him if he was ready to order. This time he went with the breakfast special opposite to that of which he ordered the time before. Never hurt to implement some change and all. When Lotte came over with his order later on, he couldn't help himself any longer.

"Hey, are you…taking care of yourself?" he ended up muttering, looking over her facial expression to see it falter for a moment, but quickly returning the way it had been before.

"Of course I am, sir. Why would you ask such a strange thing?" she spoke in a sweet voice, but the look in her eyes was aloof at best. He glanced back at his plate.

"No reason, really I guess." He stated. "Thanks."

"You're very welcome." And with that she went back behind the counter, as the restaurant wasn't very crowded at the time.

"Hey, didn't you serve that guy before one time?" Ingrid asked.

"Hm? Him? Yeah, he came in for the first time last week." Lotte answered, nonchalant about it.

"You don't say…So what were you talking about just now?" Ingrid seemed to be getting a little bit more curious than necessary.

"Nothing really. He just asked me how I was doing. You know how the male customers are from time to time." She shrugged slightly.

"You're telling me! Remember that jerk I was serving yesterday who kept looking at my chest when I took his order? I was just standing there thinking to myself 'Hey! My eyes are up here, asshole.' God, and he just kept telling me I'm really pretty and asking me shit like how I am and all. I guess we can't really be rude to them, though…You're awfully nice even when you get harassed, Lotte." Her coworker ended up ranting and commenting about the customers they got from time to time and the blonde found herself nodding in agreement.

"Well I just act like I don't know what they're talking about and I'm overly simple in my responses. They probably think I'm boring that way, and honestly I am okay with that." She explained.

"Huh, well when you put it that way maybe I should try that a little more. My curves aren't exactly unnoticeable, so it'd put a few more of those douchebags in their place…" Ingrid trailed off for a moment before glancing over at the table she was serving. "Oh shit, looks like they're ready for the check—"

Lotte smiled lightly. Even though she was never truly herself with Ingrid, she didn't necessarily dislike her either. She was one of those rare humans that were easily to talk with mindlessly, and who you didn't have to be close with to chat with, and that much was nice about her. Seeing as she and Ingrid each only had a couple of tables right now, there wasn't a whole lot to do unless the customers needed something. Slow day…

As time rolled on, Mathias eventually finished and paid, leaving a nice tip. But just before he left he handed over a piece of candy to Lotte.

"Here. It's just a little thanks in addition to the tip." He told her before smiling cordially and finally leaving. She mentally sighed with relief as soon as he exited the building, glancing down at the piece of candy in her hand. She wasn't really sure how to feel about it exactly, but she knew he gave it to her in the event of her low blood sugars. Why did he care, though? She had her own supplies and her own countermeasures to make sure nothing happened while she was working. What was the point in giving it to her, really? Was it supposed to be a peace offering? She really didn't have time to think on it, right now though. So she placed the candy in her pocket and cleared the table, going about the rest of her work day as usual…

Mathias felt a bit relieved seeing that she was doing just fine and felt a little bit better about things as he left the restaurant. His mind was a bit clearer so when he returned to his apartment, he was able to study like he had planned to in the first place. But it didn't take long for him to start wondering about Lotte again. Why did she act so nice in the presence of others, but cold any other time? Why _was_ she like that, exactly? He didn't know why he kept wondering and worrying, but somewhere deep down he knew he had made the decision to secretly look out for her. Nothing super weird, but he'd go to the restaurant every now and again and make sure he didn't catch her in a dangerous or potentially harmful situation. He just felt the need to help and protect her, regardless, so he would have to do so in as subtle a way as possible.

Every other morning, Mathias would come into the diner, ordering a coffee and a breakfast special. He'd occasionally read the local newspaper or study, but most of the time he'd make sure Lotte looked like she was okay. And she generally seemed just fine, and he never really made a big deal out of anything. He was just another customer here, and so he'd order, pay and leave just like anyone else. No extra side conversations or anything.

Of course, he'd still leave her pieces of candy every time. And she always took them and put them in her purse or pockets.

However, after a while Ingrid started to notice how the same man would come in and sit in the same spot and always order the same thing and leave Lotte a piece of candy. So of course, she confronted her coworker about the newest regular.

"Lotte, what is up with that guy?" she asked one morning while the Dane was sipping his coffee and reading the local paper.

"Who, him?" she looked over to where Ingrid had her gaze. "What do you mean?" she looked a bit confused by Ingrid's sudden question.

"I mean what's the deal with him? He comes here every morning and orders the same thing…and that much is typical at this place and all. But what's strange is he always sits in the same spot. It's like he /knows/ that that area is one of your tables or something. Not to mention along with a tip he leaves you candy, too. That's kind of creepy. It's not like you're 5 years old or something. That's all I'm saying." The woman sent a distrustful glance at the man sitting across the dining area from them.

"Well…I guess it is kind of strange, but I'm not exactly bothered by it." That was a blatant lie, since she still couldn't figure out why he kept doing that herself. "I mean it's not like he's really harassing me. He's just frequent here."

"You know what, Lotte? I bet he likes you." Ingrid raised an eyebrow glancing at Lotte and back to the man sitting in his usual spot.

"I bet he doesn't and he's just being a nice guy." She retorted.

"I bet he's being a nice guy because he liiiiiiiiiiiikes you~" the woman chimed.

"Nope, I don't see it at all." The blonde adamantly denied the possibility. It wasn't like she had an interest in him anyway, aside from the fact she'd been getting increasingly annoyed with why she couldn't figure out what his motive was.

"Oh come on, Lotte. Don't tell me you're that type that can't tell when someone secretly admires you." Ingrid whined a bit.

"Hey, your table is looking this way." Lotte muttered, successfully distracting Ingrid from the subject as she quickly went to check on the customers at her tables.

Things continued this way for another week and a half. And of course because of that Ingrid refused to leave the subject alone, which caused the Norwegian to come up with creative ways to avoid the matter. Still, Mathias was doing the same thing he had been every time, without fail. The morning rush was steady today, and she had a few customers who were at her tables aside from Mathias—which was perfect, because it meant she and her coworker didn't have a lot of room to dawdle and chat about things. Moving from table to table, she did her job flawlessly. It wasn't until she could feel a wandering pair of hands brush against her ass that she was distracted. She slightly turned around. Some older man with dark hair and an unfitted suit was checking her out. She was mentally disgusted. Humans were filthy, filthy creatures—and she despised men like this. But he was a customer. And she couldn't just yell at him for being a douchebag. Electing to ignore it this once, she continued to do her job.

Mathias however, had noticed the situation and saw the older gentleman touch her and looking at her body in that sickening manner. And honestly it pissed him off. Sexual harassment in a restaurant where everyone could see and the server can't say no? That was cruel. Though Lotte seemed to ignore it so he guessed maybe this kind of thing happened occasionally but then stopped after the first time. But still, it pissed him off. Treating women like that was unacceptable.

When she came back to the other man's table to refill his drink, he started talking to her quietly with those greedy, lustful eyes. Though from the angle it was hard to tell, by the look in Lotte's eyes it was plain to see he'd actually grabbed her this time and that she was extremely uncomfortable. And that about did it.

The Dane rose from his seat approaching the other table and pulling Lotte away from the rude customer.

"Hey, what's your problem?" the customer grumpily demanded, sending a glare at Mathias.

"I apologize sir, but last time I checked, this is a restaurant. I came here to eat and go about my work day, just like everybody else here. I did not come in here to stand by and watch disgusting men like you sexually harass the servers. I'm going to have to ask you to leave this woman alone and continue your meal with no further advances, or I'm going to have to ask you to leave." He told the man firmly.

"Oh, yeah? Well what authority do you have to do that, huh? You the owner or manager of this place? I don't think so. So why don't you get off my back, huh?" God the tone of this guy irked Mathias to no end.

"He may not have the authority, but I do." A man's voice came from behind them, causing the customer, Mathias, and Lotte all to turn and look. "I'm the owner of this establishment, and I'm afraid I cannot condone anyone harassing my workers. This young man is sticking up for her, therefore I'm afraid you're going to have to leave."

It didn't take long for the customer to look intimidated, awkwardly shuffling out of his seat and dramatically leave the restaurant. Once he was gone, things eventually settled down and the owner sighed.

"I'm so tired of his kind coming in here and us having to kick them out without them paying their bills." He grumbled a bit before turning to Mathias. "However, I want to thank you for handling that. I would have done the same had I been here sooner. My name is Henrik Voll, and as you've heard I'm the owner of this restaurant." The man introduced himself, extending his hand.

"Mathias Køhler, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you." The Dane shook Henrik's hand. "If it's any consolation, I'll pay for that guy's expenses. It's not a problem."

"Ahaha, don't worry about it so much! It's actually rather refreshing to see some young men here that properly respect and look out for wonderful women such as Lotte here." He gestured to Lotte who had been silent up until this moment.

"Yes, thank you very much." She told Mathias, though part of him wondered if she was being genuine about thanking him.

"It wasn't a problem at all, really." He stated. With that Lotte nodded and returned to work and after he and Henrik had chatted a little about some things, Mathias returned to his seat, finished and paid for his meal, leaving an estimate of the rude man's meal as a tip, and as usual leaving a piece of candy for Lotte.

She was honestly surprised that Mathias had stood up for her. As soon as things died down after the Danish man had gone, Ingrid wouldn't stop talking about him and how she wished he was around more to come to her rescue, too if her customers ever got grabby with her. But honestly, she was actually a little…glad. It was strange to her. Did he really help her just because he genuinely wanted to, though? Or did he do it for his own interests? She was hesitant to trust that he didn't have some secret motive. And even if he didn't, she didn't know what to do about it. She'd probably just keep ignoring it as often as possible.

Either way, she finished her shift for the day, hearing the sound of rain tapping on the windows and realizing she hadn't brought her umbrella. Ingrid didn't get off for another hour and she felt it would be awkward to wait around…Sighing to herself and holding her luck rune in her hand, she exited the restaurant and began walking quickly and getting wet from the downpour within no time at all. Huh…déjà vu. That is, until suddenly it stopped. Not the rain itself, but all of a sudden she wasn't getting drenched. Turning, she saw Mathias there, holding a fairly large umbrella over the two of them.

"Hey, uh…" he trailed off rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I had a feeling you probably hadn't brought an umbrella since the forecast said 'light rain,' so…could I…walk you home?" She didn't know whether or not to feel creeped out or thankful. But he didn't seem like the usual upbeat guy he usually was somehow. He seemed. Awkward. And even though she honestly wasn't fond of him still, walking home under an umbrella was better than getting drenched.

"Sure." She replied simply, taking a step forward, only to have him start walking alongside her, keeping the umbrella to where it covered both of them. He soon realized, however, it wasn't as wide as he'd like it to be and awkwardly shuffled closer to her as they walked along. She didn't say a word to him. Which only made Mathias feel more awkward about their current situation. He was honestly getting so many mixed signals from Lotte that he didn't really know what to do or say to her at this point. So instead of choosing a topic to really discuss he just started making small talk.

"So, how are you doing? It seems like the restaurant has been busier lately." He ended up glancing off to the side at the wet roads beside them. He wasn't confident he'd get an answer.

"I'm doing fine. Other than that pervert that you helped get rid of, things have been fine. It gets busy like that from time to time. It isn't really anything new." Though she answered him, she refused to meet his gaze as he turned back to her, instead keeping her eyes forward as they walked alongside the wet road.

"Ah, him…I hope that wasn't too awkward of a situation for you. I honestly can't stand guys like that who take advantage of others…" he trailed off. Things went silent between them again, only getting the Danish man nervous again, as it was still a ways to go before they reached the apartment complex where Lotte lived. After a few more steps, the blonde woman stopped.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked him. Mathias paused and turned back to her, looking confused by her question. She seemed to notice that, as she then decided to revise her question. "Why are you trying to help me after you said you'd forget that anything ever happened?" her gaze was icy and sharp and it really hit him hard, as it wasn't fully anticipated in the moment.

"Well, I…" he looked at the ground for a moment, recalling something he didn't want to think of. "I'm just worried about you is all. I know that really, we're just strangers…but I just feel like I should be looking out for you. That's all, really." He admitted.

"But why?!" she demanded, "What could you possibly hope to gain from helping a stranger? Someone you don't know and who has shown you nothing but distrust? I don't understand why you're being all noble and trying to help me…it's irritating. I can take care of myself just fine!" she was now raising her voice at him.

"Are you sure about that?" he began to match her volume level in mere seconds. "Because maybe it really isn't any of my business, but last I checked, people who take care of themselves don't suddenly pass out and have the risk of going to a diabetic coma! I mean, maybe there's someone else in your life that takes care of those things and I was butting in, but if I hadn't been there, what could have happened?!"

"I don't need anyone's help. There's no one. I just told you I could take care of myself! I would have woken up eventually without your help! And even if I didn't who really cares?! All my life I've only ever been a convenience or disappointment to others! I'm not even like the rest of humanity, so I might as well just die!" she shouted back at him. Thankfully the roads were void of any people at the moment, but their conversation had gotten pretty loud.

That is, until Mathias stopped himself at her words. He couldn't handle the emotions that were now welling up inside him. "…You mean to tell me that you think your life isn't worth anything? That it's okay if you just die? That no one will miss you?" he was shaking as he said this, and his expression was a cross between anger and sorrow. "…I don't think that's true at all. You're not just a convenience or disappointment, and you're not helpless. In fact, I think you're pretty strong. But even strong people need help sometimes. And all I want to do is make sure you're safe and that you're taking care of yourself…you mean to tell me there's no one to take care of you and that you're okay with just scraping by and barely surviving…?"

"No one would care. So I either survive, or I die. And I don't care either way." She said this all so matter-of-factly and to Mathias it was utterly…disturbing. How could she be okay with letting herself live like that?

"Don't you think you deserve anything good in life? Don't you think you deserve to be happy?" he questioned.

"Happiness is like denying how shitty things really are. It's allowing yourself to be brainwashed into ignorance. And it's people who live like that who have taken any chance for me to feel such an emotion." She stopped there and glanced at him, not phased at this point at all. She told him genuinely how she saw things. She could see him getting frustrated by this…she could see that same look others who tried to get close to her had gotten once they discovered the truth of how she was. "You think so too, then? That because I'm like this I can't possibly be human? Which in a way is true. I'm not like the rest of you. I just blend in and act as humans should. I don't 'feel' much of anything and I couldn't care less about others or happiness or whatever other bullshit people use to ignore their mistakes and problems like me. You wanted to help me? I don't need it or want it. You're just a stupid human who can't possibly understand, and you can never help someone like me. So why don't you just leave me alone, like anyone before you who has ever tried to get close to me has? Give up. There's no point in worrying or caring about a person so far from being like you." Her words were aloof, emotionless, and firm all in the same instance. She thought she had finally shut him up—finally done something that would get him off her back.

But instead, an entirely unexpected reaction took place.

**_Smack._**

His hand came in contact almost harshly with her cheek, and it stung a little. She glared back at him, seeing a fierce look in his eyes—a look she hadn't expected from such an upbeat dumb guy.

"Stop it. Stop talking about yourself like that." And without another word he dropped the umbrella to the ground and embraced her. "I don't care what you say; you deserve to be happy and you're not a mistake at all. I refuse to believe that. I refuse to give up on you so easily. I know…I know I'm over-stepping a boundary. But I just can't leave you alone. Especially now, knowing the way you see yourself. Being happy—sad…feeling all of those emotions doesn't mean people are being ignorant about things. It doesn't mean that happy people think everything is okay all of the time. People can be happy for their own reasons. People can feel the way they feel because they're human. And you are, too, Lotte."

She was speechless again at his words, and all she could think of at this point was getting away from him. She didn't want to hear these words, as if he cared about her—She didn't want to be trapped in his arms like this…it felt so _uncomfortable_. Not to mention the two of them were getting soaked the more they stood here. She was absolutely livid. She wanted to kick him in the groin and tell him all the reasons why he was wrong. But…why couldn't she…? She had the strength. She was in the perfect position. But…she couldn't bring herself to push him away somehow. It wasn't until she felt warm liquid dripping down her cheeks that she realized that she was so suddenly feeling something. Loneliness. Heartache. And she knew that even though she wanted to deny him and his words that he was right. Embarrassed, she hid her face from him, covering it up with her arm.

He could tell, though. He could tell she had started to cry, even though she was covering it up. So gently, he took a step away from her, releasing his arms and picking up the umbrella (that thankfully hadn't blown away) and holding it above them again, only nudging her slightly so that they could continue walking, leaving his hand loosely around her shoulder since she wouldn't allow him to see her face at the moment. "You don't have to hide it." He told her, "It's okay to cry. It doesn't make you weak and it doesn't mean you're helpless."

"Shut up." She muttered, wiping her face and peeking at him.

"Your face is flushed, Lotte." He mused.

"I said shut up. That isn't funny." Her words were more grumbled than spoken outright.

"I'm just stating what you refuse to acknowledge~" he continued, though he wasn't sure his teasing was the best idea.

"And I'm just saying I'll hit you where it hurts if you don't shut up about it." She sent a direct glare his way. Their steps slowed a bit as they reached the apartment complex.

"Ohhhh~? You would hurt a poor stupid human like me, would you?" he started chuckling to himself, only to be elbowed in the gut.

"…You're not…as stupid as I thought, I guess." The blonde woman looked away from him.

"I dunno. I must be stupid somewhere for worrying about you enough to walk you all the way home in the rain, right?" he just kept being ridiculous.

"Yeah, suuuuure." Her tone was sarcastic and she ended up smirking and lightly laughing at him.

"Hey, look at that, she does smile outside of work!" he grinned at her as they reached the staircase leading up to her apartment.

"You're annoying." She rolled her eyes as they carefully made their way up to the door.

"Well, if that's what you think then at least I'm done here for today." His grin softened into a more charming smile.

"Good, now go home, idiot." Though her words were kind of mean, her tone and the light smile that remained on her lips could communicate that she wasn't intentionally being cruel to him. She was just teasing him in return, in her own way.

"I will, I will~" he replied, "Ah, but first—" Mathias pulled a small scrap of paper from his pocket. Miraculously, it wasn't wet. "That's my phone number. If you ever need anything, or even if you just want to talk, give me a call and I'll lend an ear or a hand or whatever I can do, okay?" he smiled gently, but quickly went back to his musing expression. "Of course, only call when you really need something, since such a strong girl like you doesn't need help from an idiot like me, right?"

"Watch what you say or I'll find stupid errands to send you on, dumbass." She turned away from him, placing the scrap of paper in her purse and taking out her keys to unlock her door. "And…thank you."

With those words being said, she went inside of her apartment and Mathias turned to leave with a contented smile across his face. He wasn't sure what exactly had just happened, but somehow he got the feeling she'd opened up to him a little more now. Maybe she wouldn't talk to him much. Maybe she'd never talk about her feelings, but she had allowed him to help her and he'd learned a little bit about the way she thought of herself and other people.

And somehow, that was enough for now. That much satisfied him. He walked home in peace as the rain began to let up a bit.

This was a starting point, and he knew it would be going somewhere from here.


End file.
